9 Kitchen Hacks & Simple Solutions

Discover 9 different ideas and tips to make your cooking time a little bit more pleasant! When it comes to cooking, daily hacks and simple solutions are amazing because they make our lives easier, save time, and minimize effort.

1. Measure for measure

If you don’t use the plastic caps from cough syrup bottles, don’t throw them away. Use them to measure liquids. The caps, which hold the equivalent of 2 tablespoons, stack neatly for easy stowing. They also work well for measuring out herbs, spices, and other ingredients in preparation for cooking, creating what’s called mise en place.

2. Picky shrimp prep

Even when grilling shrimp with the shell on, many cooks like to remove the gritty vein running down the back. One easy way to accomplish this is to straighten the shrimp as much as possible, grab the exposed end of the vein with flat-edged tweezers, and pull it out gently.

3. Mushroom brushing

No need for those cute little specialty brushes for cleaning all of those hard-to-reach spots on mushrooms—a clean, soft-bristled toothbrush provides a comfortable handle, and the small head slips easily under the gills to capture every stray bit of dirt. A run through the dishwasher cleans the soiled brush.

4. Corn cleaning

For a no-fuss way to remove the long, clingy strands of silk from ears of corn, hold the corn under cool running water and use a clean, firm-bristled toothbrush to brush off the silk. The toothbrush can be cleaned in the dishwasher and used repeatedly.

5. Slick slicing

Unflavored, unwaxed dental floss can be used for a variety of slicing tasks in the kitchen. Try using this solution for soft doughs, such as cinnamon rolls; soft cheeses, such as goat cheese; or fragile cakes, such as cheesecake. The floss won’t pull, tear, or flatten as much as a knife.

6. Twine replacing

Dental floss also makes a perfect stand-in for kitchen twine if you don’t have any on hand. Use unflavored, unwaxed floss to tie up meat, poultry, and bouquets garnis.

7. Cake leveling

Rather than use a long-bladed knife to level a cake, try this tip: after the cake has cooled, return the cake layer to the pan. Run the appropriate length of dental floss (or even clean, new fishing line) across the cake top, using the top edge of the pan as a guide. Pull the severed section from the top of the layer.

8. Thermometer holder for the grill

An ordinary wooden clothespin makes a convenient holder for the thermometer you use to monitor the temperature out on the grill. It has the benefit of staying cool to the touch while also protecting the head of the thermometer from the hot metal surface of the grill.

9. Toaster oven trick

The small footprint of a toaster oven is great, but the compact size of this appliance leaves little room for a bulky oven mitt to reach in for your food. To avoid a burn, pull the rack out using a wooden clothespin instead.